News
Technology
March 2014
67
Plasmait is launching a new fully
integrated line for the production of
interconnect ribbon – or solar ribbon.
PV ribbon is tinned copper ribbon
installed in photovoltaic or solar
panels. Interconnect ribbon is
soldered onto silicon cells in order
to interconnect arrays of solar cells
in the solar panel.
The interconnect ribbon carries the
current generated in the solar cells
to the PV bus bar, which in turn
carries the current out of the solar
panel.
PV ribbons are 1mm to 6mm wide
and 0.1 to 0.3mm thick. They are
coated with a 10 to 30 micron thick
layer of solder.
Since
the
introduction
of
PlasmaPREPLATE process to the PV
ribbon industry in 2007, Plasmait
has continuously improved the
process to streamline production
and allow manufacturing of the best
quality ribbons for the solar market.
The new PV ribbon line can produce
super-soft ribbons with yield strength
<50MPa (Rp0.2%). These super-soft
ribbons are spooled onto a
single head takeup at a speed
of up to 150m/min. PV ribbon
manufacturers can choose to
integrate the line with the rolling
mill or run it independently.
The new process is completely
chemical-free, and uses neither flux
nor rolling agents, which makes
the whole production dry and
environmentally friendly. Plasmait
is a supplier of heat and surface
treatment solutions for wire, cable,
tube, strip and the ribbon industry.
Plasmait’s other solution is the
high-speed PlasmaANNEALER for
stainless steel and nickel alloys
for fine wire that offers annealing
speeds of up to 900m/min.
Plasmait GmbH – Austria
Website
:
PV Ribbon – integrated production from
rolling to tinning
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PV ribbon spool from Plasmait
